1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a liquid trap cup and a liquid trap assembly using the liquid trap cup, especially a liquid trap cup and a liquid trap assembly using the liquid trap cup employed in the liquid trap device of a medical breathing circuit. In application, the invention can conveniently remove the waste liquid that is collected without disassembling the liquid trap assembly to minimize infections and reduce the burden of the medical staff.
2. Descriptions of the Related Art
Breathing systems are widely used apparatuses in the medical field for facilitating patients' breathing and for providing a clean breathing gas. Thus, besides providing the oxygen needed by the human body, the breathing system is usually used in combination with a humidifier to adjust the humidity of the breathing gas and raise the comfort level during breathing. In addition, the breathing system is capable of dosing respiratory medication to further modify the patient's breathing circulation.
However, in a low temperature environment with cold air, the breathing gas and/or patient's exhaled breath in the breathing circuit will condense in the circuit of the breathing system. Thus, several liquid trap assemblies are normally provided to collect the waste liquid accumulated in the circuit. For example, liquid trap assemblies can be provided at each of the following outlets: the humidifier, the patient's oral/nasal area and the gas cylinder. The waste liquid in the liquid trap assemblies must be cleaned regularly to maintain the function of the breathing system, and prevent bacteria growth and infection.
Currently, many kinds of liquid trap assemblies have been designed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,305, for example, disclosed a water trap assembly mainly composed of a lid 510 with an inlet pipe 511 and an outlet pipe 512, a drain member 530 equipped with a value member 531 therein, and a jar 520 with a protruding member 521 therein, as shown in FIG. 1. When the lid 510 is secured on the jar 520, the liquid in the breathing circuit can be collected in the water trap jar 520 through the drain member 530 because the protruding member 521 enables the valve member 531 to open. When the waste liquid in the jar 520 accumulates to a certain level, the jar 520 needs to be disassembled manually to remove the waste liquid. When disassembling the jar 520, part of the inner wall of the water trap assembly is exposed to air, and thus, the germs in the air may attach to the inner wall. After reassembling the jar 520, the germs attached thereon are present in the breathing circuit, thereby increasing the probability of infection. Furthermore, when cleaning the waste liquid, the breathing residue of the patients will come into contact with air and the waste liquid may even spill out, thereby putting the health of family members and medical staff at risk for infection. Presently, in the market, the liquid trap assembly (Model: G-313001) available from VADI Inc. is similar to the above embodiment.
In addition, Taiwan Utility Model Patent No. M376302 disclosed a sealed waste liquid collector for the isolated expiratory system, which forsakes the aforesaid detachable structure and adopts a unitized design as shown in FIG. 2. Briefly, the collector 610 comprises a gas-inlet 611, a gas-outlet 612 and a liquid outlet 620 arranged at the bottom therein. When attempting to discharge the waste liquid in the collector, the cap of the liquid outlet is opened and the liquid outlet is connected with a negative pressure device to drain out the waste liquid. Although such a collector prevents the step of disassembling and emptying, the waste liquid leaks out easily at the moment when the cap is opened and also the liquid outlet is connected with the negative pressure device. However, if the collector is tilted to prevent the leakage of the waste liquid, the waste liquid might flow back and endanger the patients.
In view of the above disadvantages in the prior art, the present invention provides a modified liquid trap cup and liquid trap assembly. While using the liquid trap cup, the waste liquid can be conveniently drained out from its downside without conducting a disassembling and leakage from the system. The liquid trap cup indeed meets the need in the medical industry.